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Eastern South Africa & Western Cape Extension 1St to 19 Th August 2010 (19 Days)

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Eastern South Africa & Western Cape Extension 1St to 19 Th August 2010 (19 Days) Eastern South Africa & Western Cape Extension 1st to 19 th August 2010 (19 days) Trip report compiled by tour leader Gavin Lautenbach Top 10 Birds of the Trip as voted for by the participants: 1. Crimson-breasted Shrike 6. Saddle-billed Stork 2. Taita Falcon 7. Sentinel Rock Thrush 3. Purple Crested Turaco 8. Blue Korhaan 4. Double-banded Sandgrouse 9. Pintado Petrel 5. Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk 10. Verreaux’s Eagle Trip Report RBT South Africa August 2010 2 Top 10 Mammals of the trip as voted for by the participants: 1. Cheetah 6. Kudu 2. Sable Antelope 7. Elephant 3. Leopard 8. Lion 4. Grey Rhebok 9. Nyala 5. Four-toed Elephant Shrew 10. African Wildcat Tour Summary On this tour we covered many of the possible South African biomes, from highveld grasslands of the interior, dry Acacia woodland in the north, moister woodland on the eastern lowveld and coastal plain, grassland and forests within the mistbelt of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and higher Maloti Mountains, the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and, finally, the Fynbos and Karoo areas of the Western Cape. Over and above the many resident bird species that we managed to observe in these diverse areas, we also found many of the numerous mammals that make these regions their home. However, as the tour took place during the winter months in South Africa, the migrants were not around and some species were not yet in their breeding plumage. Nonetheless, it was still a thoroughly successful and enjoyable tour, and we managed to notch up 411 birds species and 55 mammal species. Our tour commenced in the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg, from where we made our way to the Seringveld Conservancy, Here we were welcomed by a warm winters day and some great dry-country birding. Lesser Honeyguide, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Capped Wheatear and White-fronted Bee-eater were among the first to make it onto our lists. After this great initial success, we then headed towards the Zaagkuildrift Road where we found the always spectacular Crimson-breasted Shrike, Northern Black Korhaan, Kalahari Scrub Robin as well as Black-faced and beautiful Violet-cheeked Waxbills. Marsh Owl, crepuscular in winter, also gave some incredible close flight views in the same area. On the way to the Kruger National Park we were fortunate to find a pair of the incredibly localized Taita Falcon as they perched on the rock face overhead, where we were able to obtain great scope views. The male eventually flew off and it was lovely to see this very rare bird in flight! The Kruger National Park produced some excellent birding and mammal highlights. A few of these included Cape Vulture, the unusual Hamerkop, African Scops-Owl, Crested Barbet and Brown-headed Parrot. Numerous raptors were also a feature and we managed close views of the majestic Martial Eagle, 4 vulture species, the striking Bateleur and a variety of others. We were also very lucky with many great mammal sightings, which included a brilliant Lion sighting, huge herds of buffalo and White Rhino. We also had herds of buffalo and elephant congregating at waterholes with hippos and crocodiles. The ultimate highlight, however, was undoubtedly the discovery of a mother Cheetah with four sub adults; what an incredible sight to see five Trip Report RBT South Africa August 2010 3 magnificent predators walking side by side! Our night drive here produced Hyena, African Civet and a Flap-necked Chameleon. Next we moved on to the high-lying grassland biome, harbouring many of the regions’ endemics. Blue and Barrow’s Korhaan’s, Southern Bald Ibis, Botha’s and Rudd’s Larks and the majestic Secretarybird were amongst the targets that our local guide helped us to see very well. The Suricate, or Meerkat, and its Yellow Mongoose relative were some of the new mammals we found in the area, along with various species of antelope. We worked hard here and were rewarded with spectacular views of a Ground Woodpecker towards the end of an endemic filled day. A small private lodge near Hluhluwe was our next destination; again, this region provided some great highlights. These included the delightful little Pink-throated Twinspot, Lemon-breasted Canary, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Grey Waxbill and Eastern Nicator. Red Duiker, Suni and Nyala were also found in the beautiful Sand Forest, as well as several species of Orchid and the only indigenous Cactus in South Africa Next on our itinerary was a two-night stay in the coastal town of St. Lucia. The St. Lucia area comprises a great mosaic of habitats, providing an opportunity to find forest, grassland and estuarine species within minutes of each other. In St. Lucia itself we had several special birds, including Livingstone’s Turaco, Trumpeter Hornbill, Brown Scrub Robin and Spotted Ground Thrush An early morning start the next day saw us heading to the small town of Mtunzini, where we were lucky to find a resident Palmnut Vulture in very good time. Although it was pouring with rain, Eshowe’s Dlinza forest proved fairly fruitful as we had great views of Grey Cuckooshrike, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon and a magnificent Crowned Eagle with its prey. With the rain set in and the weather being very cold, we decided to press on to Darvill Sewage Works where we added a number of ducks as well as Greater Honeyguide. In the Hilton area of the Kwazulu-Natal midlands we had a morning around the fabulous Karkloof, where we obtained excellent views of the highly endangered Cape Parrot. Green Twinspot, African Olive Pigeon, Orange Ground Thrush, Red-backed Manikins, Olive Woodpecker and Forest Canary were also found while wondering through the forest. A major highlight of the tour was certainly our day trip up the magical Sani Pass. Cape Rock Thrush, Familiar Chat and Malachite Sunbird were some of the first birds of the day. We then had had great views of the ever popular Gurney’s Sugarbird and Ground Woodpecker in the Protea belt higher up. While we were enjoying our breakfast we also had the privilege of watching an adult Lammergeyer riding the thermals overhead. Trip Report RBT South Africa August 2010 4 Further up the slope, 6 Drakensberg Rockjumper’s delighted us with their antics, as males chased other males before returning to see if the females were impressed! Driving further into Lesotho, we then added Drakensberg Siskin, Large-billed Lark, Grey Tit and Sickle-winged Chat in the Karoo-like scrub at almost 3000m altitude. After Landing in Cape Town for the next leg of our adventure, we headed straight for Standfontein Sewage Works where we had a plethora of water birds. Hundreds of Greater Flamingo’s dancing away in the late afternoon sunlight was truly memorable sight. Other birds included Avocet, African Oystercatcher, Black- necked Grebe and Glossy Ibis. The next day we were fortunate to have some great weather, which allowed us to go out on the pelagic trip that is anything but a guaranteed departure. Although we were unable to find a trawler, we nevertheless saw 6 species of albatross (Shy, Black-browed, both Yellow-nosed and both Royal Albatrosses species, the latter two of which are rare in southern African waters). Brown Skuas were constantly around us, while plenty of Pintado Petrels, as well as the tiny Wilson’s Storm Petrel and a Giant Petrel were seen on the way home. Four species of Tern – Swift, Common, Antarctic and Arctic – were also spotted, while Bryde’s Whale and Cape Fur Seal were added to our fairly extensive mammal list. As we made our way both into and out of the harbour we managed good views of all 4 marine cormorants for the region – White-breasted, Cape, Crowned and Bank. During further explorations of the False Bay area we watched African Penguins going about their daily business oblivious to their gawking human spectators, Peregrine Falcon, a pair of impressive Verreaux’s Eagle, Cape Rockjumper, Orange-breasted Sunbird and Cape Siskin (one of the less predictable of the fynbos endemics). Then we were off to the fabulous Kirstenbosch Gardens, where we enjoyed a delicious meal in the one of the most spectacular gardens in the world. We succeeded in finding Cape Sugarbirds.in the Proteas before finishing off an incredibly scenic day at Cape Point. In the late afternoon as the sun was setting, we then watched a mega pod of about 300 Common Dolphins circling prey where the two oceans meet at the very tip of Africa. Driving up the West Coast, we moved into the drier Fynbos habitats where we found Karoo Scrub Robin, Black Harrier, Chestnut-vented Warbler and the striking Southern Black Korhaan. The mud- and sandflats in the Langebaan Lagoon support thousands of shorebirds in the summer months, and we managed to find a few birds, including an overwintering Whimbrel, Kittlitz’s Plover and Black-winged Stilt, among others. We also found Chestnut-banded Plover on the way to our overnight town of Ceres. The last full day of the tour was spent in and around the Tanqua Karoo with its very low, dry and hardy shrubs. Here we had several target endemic species to locate. Some of the birds we were able to find included the large Ludwig’s Bustard, endemic Karoo Korhaan with Trip Report RBT South Africa August 2010 5 its amazing croaking call, Karoo Eremomela, delightful Fairy Warbler, Karoo Lark, Rufous-eared Warbler, Namaqua Sandgrouse, Pririt Batis and Black-headed Canary. And that’s where the tour concluded; a fantastic end to a wonderful trip though the wealth of South Africa’s amazing ecological diversity.
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